Golfing accessory having improved visibility and functionality

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure is directed to a golfing accessory for the game of golf. In particular, a golfing accessory has a ball marker and a holder for the ball marker. The ball marker may be provided with various attention grabbing devices which enable the ball marker to be more easily located in low-light or other difficult conditions.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/235,945 filed on Oct. 1, 2015, the contents of whichare hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technology described herein relates to a golfing accessory such as,for example, a golf ball marker with improved visibility and enhancedelectronic functionality. The golfing accessory may have a holder forthe golf ball marker which cooperates to retain and control acharacteristic of the golf ball marker.

BACKGROUND

In the game of golf, often players reach a point where more than oneplayer's ball is on a putting green or another shared part of thecourse. In such instances, it may happen that one user's golf ballobstructs the path of another user's shot. Further, the presence of asecond user's ball on the putting green or near the hole may serve as adistraction for other users playing the same green. To solve thisproblem, users may carry with them golf ball markers to mark the spotwhere their ball is located so as to free up the view of the hole.

Conventional golf ball markers are usually simple, unpowered, unitarystructures which may have lettering or other indicia printed or embossedthereon. However, during low light conditions, such as at dawn,twilight, on an overcast day, or the like, the golf ball marker may bedifficult to locate.

Accordingly, there is a need for a golfing accessory with improvedvisibility and improved functionality which enables the player to moreaccurately locate the ball marker as well as offer other auxiliaryfunctionality for the golf player.

The information included in this Background section of thespecification, including any references cited herein and any descriptionor discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes onlyand is not to be regarded subject matter by which the scope of theinvention as defined in the claims is to be bound.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a ball marker,including a body having a top surface and at least one sidewall, the topsurface defining a perimeter; a retention mechanism; a power source; acontroller; at least one illumination source; an activation module inelectrical communication with the controller and the at least oneillumination source; wherein the controller controls the activationmodule to activate the at least one illumination source based on astorage position of the ball marker.

In some implementations, the activation module includes a magnetic fieldsensor.

In some implementations, the magnetic field sensor is one of a magneticreed switch, a hall effect sensor, a magnetic flux sensor, and amagnetoresistive sensor.

In some implementations, the activation module includes an electricalswitch.

In some implementations, the activation module includes anelectromechanical switch.

In some implementations, the controller is configured to determine astorage position based on a condition of the activation module.

In some implementations, the retention mechanism is a magnetic retentionmechanism.

In some implementations, the retention mechanism is a recessed portion.

In some implementations, the body further includes a substantiallyplanar bottom surface, and wherein the recessed portion is formed on thebottom surface.

In some implementations, the retention mechanism is a snap-fit retentionmechanism.

In some implementations, the illumination source is provided on at leastone of the top surface and the at least one sidewall.

Some implementations further include a selection mechanism electricallycoupled to the controller for selecting from one of a plurality ofoperating modes.

In some implementations, the power source is one of a battery or solarpower source.

Some implementations further include a high-visibility portion.

In some implementations, the high-visibility portion includes a materialselected from a reflective material, retro-reflective material, andchemiluminescent material.

In a second aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a golfingaccessory including

a ball marker including: a body, a top surface, and at least onesidewall, the top surface defining a perimeter; a controller; a powersource; a retention mechanism; at least one attention attractingdevices; an activation module in electrical communication with thecontroller and the at least one attention attracting device; a holderincluding a first surface and a retention member; wherein the retentionmechanism and retention member are configured to selectively couple theball marker to the holder; and wherein the activation module isconfigured to activate the at least one attention attracting deviceswhen the retention mechanism and retention member are coupled andconfigured to deactivate the at least one attention attracting deviceswhen the retention mechanism and retention member are not coupled.

In some implementations, the activation module includes a magnetic fieldsensor.

In some implementations, the magnetic field sensor is one of a magneticreed switch, a hall-effect sensor, a magnetic flux sensor, and amagnetoresistive sensor.

In some implementations, the activation module includes one of anelectrical switch and an electromechanical switch.

In some implementations, the retention mechanism is a magnetic retentionmechanism.

In some implementations, the body further includes a substantiallyplanar bottom surface, the bottom surface having a recessed portionformed thereon.

In some implementations, the holder further includes a boss portionprotruding from the first surface, the boss portion configured toselectively couple with the recessed portion.

In some implementations, the retention member is a snap-fit retentionmember.

In some implementations, the retention member is a magnetic retentionmember.

In some implementations, the at least one attention attracting devicesis provided on at least one of the top surface and the at least onesidewall.

In some implementations, the at least one attention attracting devicesis one of an illumination source, an audio source, an audiovisualsource, a high-visibility portion, and a display.

In some implementations, the high-visibility portion includes a materialselected from a reflective material, retro-reflective material, andchemiluminescent material.

Some implementations further include a selection mechanism electricallycoupled to the controller for selecting from one of a plurality ofoperating modes.

In some implementations, the power source is one of a battery or solarpower source.

In some implementations, the ball marker further includes a storagedevice in electrical communication with the controller, the controllerconfigured to operate the at least one attention attracting devicesbased on at least one operating mode stored on the storage device.

Some implementations further include a selection mechanism electricallycoupled to the controller and the at least one attention grabbingdevices, the selection mechanism configured for selecting from one of aplurality of operating modes.

In some implementations, the ball marker further includes a locationdetecting device.

In some implementations, the ball marker further includes a transceiverconfigured to communicate with one of a cellular network, a satellitenetwork, and a portable electronic device.

In some implementations, the controller of the ball marker is configuredto calculate a distance a predetermined area based upon an output of thelocation detecting device and a storage device.

In some implementations, the calculated distance is output to a display.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. A moreextensive presentation of features, details, utilities, and advantagesof the present invention as defined in the claims is provided in thefollowing written description of various embodiments of the inventionand illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is an isometric view of a golfing accessory according to a firstexample.

FIG. 1B is an isometric view of a holder for a golfing accessoryaccording to another example.

FIG. 2A is a partial cross-section of the golfing accessory of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2B is a partial cross-section of the golfing accessory of FIG. 1B.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a controller for controlling a ball markerdepicted in either FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 4A-4B is a partial cross-section of a golfing accessory of FIG. 1Awith selected structures hidden.

FIG. 5A-5B is a partial cross-section of a golfing accessory of FIG. 1Bwith selected structures hidden.

FIG. 6A is a partial cross-section depicting an example of a holder forholding a ball marker described in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 6B is a partial cross-section depicting an example of a holder forholding a ball marker described in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 7A is a partial cross-section depicting another example of a holderfor holding a ball marker as described in FIG. 1A or 1B.

FIG. 7B is a perspective view of the top holder body of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8A is a circuit diagram showing exemplary circuit modules for agolfing accessory set forth in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 8B is a circuit diagram showing exemplary circuit modules for agolfing accessory set forth in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 9A is a circuit diagram showing exemplary circuit modules for agolfing accessory set forth in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 9B is a circuit diagram showing exemplary circuit modules for agolfing accessory set forth in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 10A is a circuit diagram showing exemplary circuit modules for agolfing accessory set forth in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 10B is a circuit diagram showing exemplary circuit modules for agolfing accessory set forth in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 11A is a circuit diagram showing exemplary circuit modules for agolfing accessory set forth in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 11B is a circuit diagram showing exemplary circuit modules for agolfing accessory set forth in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 12 is illustration of golf ball marker embodiment that includes adigital display.

FIG. 13 is an illustration of a golf ball marker embodiment that may beconfigured to communicate with a smart golf ball.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is generally related to a golfing accessory suchas, for example, a golf ball marker. A holder is provided for the golfball marker to retain the golf ball marker on the holder and may controla characteristic of the golf ball marker. In some examples, thecharacteristic may be an ON state or an OFF state of the golf ballmarker. In some examples, however, the present disclosure is not limitedto a marker for the game of golf, and the marker may be used to mark theposition of other objects or items outside of the sports and recreationarea, or for a different sport than golf.

In some examples, the golf ball marker (also referred to as “ballmarker” or just “marker”) may be provided with at least one illuminationdevice such as a light emitting diode (LED) light source, anelectroluminescent source, bioluminescent, a laser, or the like. Themarker may be provided with a battery and/or solar cell in order toprovide power to the illumination device(s). The illumination device(s)may increase visibility of the marker and/or the area surrounding themarker, thus increasing the visibility of the marker in low-lightconditions. In some examples, illumination device(s) may be disposed onthe top surface and/or a side surface or a sidewall of the marker.

The marker may be provided with an activation mechanism for activatingthe illumination device(s). In some examples the activation mechanismmay be based on magnetism (such as a hall sensor), an electromechanicalactivation mechanism (such as a magnetic reed switch), and/or amechanical activation mechanism (such as a pushbutton switch). In otherexamples, the marker may have a manual switch configured for operationby a user. A holder for the marker may have a retention memberconfigured to or positioned to interact directly or indirectly with anactivation mechanism provided with the marker.

In other examples, the ball marker may have one or more attentionattracting devices. The attention attracting devices may include one ormore illumination devices such as discussed above. In some examples, theattention attracting devices may be provided as high-visibility orreflective material disposed on the ball marker, a sound emittingdevice, a display, and/or a LED writing board. Attention attractingdevice(s) may be placed on the top surface, one or more side surfaces orsidewalls of the ball marker, or provided on both surfaces.

The ball marker according to present disclosure may couple with a holderwhich is capable of retaining the ball marker on or within the holder.In some examples the holder may function to change a state orcharacteristic of the ball marker, such as turning the ball marker ON orOFF. In other examples the ball marker may be provided with a means ofchanging a mode of operation of the illumination device(s) and/orattention attracting device(s). For example, an illumination device mayblink, change its level of brightness, change the number of times thatit is illuminated, and so on. The holder may also protect the ballmarker when the ball marker is not in use, such as when coupled to anarticle of clothing, stored in a pocket, a golf bag, or the like. Forexample, the holder may water resistant or water proof or may beprotective against impacts and/or scathes.

In still other examples, the ball marker is provided with a controller,processing element, a storage device, a location detecting device, andother circuit modules to control and change operation of the ballmarker. In some examples, the ball marker may be able to record a golfscore, the number of strokes taken, and/or determine a location ordirection of the player with respect to the course being played,proximity or distance to the nearest hole, and the like.

The golfing accessory according to the present disclosure will bediscussed more detail with reference to the accompanying Figures.

With reference to FIG. 1A, an example of the golfing accessory 10 isshown from a perspective angle. The golfing accessory 10 is providedwith a ball maker 100 and a holder 200. The ball marker 100 includes abody 108 with a substantially planar top surface 104 and at least onesidewall 106. However, the top surface 104 is not limited in thisrespect and the top surface 104 may have various protrusions,adornments, features, and/or or contours. The marker 100 may be made ofmetal, plastic, or a combination of metal and plastic. In some examples,the body 108 of the ball marker 100 may be made of plastic while aperimeter edge includes a magnetic metal material. The ball marker 100and holder 200 are shown in FIG. 1B as having a circular shape by way ofexample and not limitation. However, the shape of a ball marker 100and/or holder 200 may vary depending on the implementation. Inaccordance with various embodiments, the ball marker 100 and/or holder200 may have any shape including circular, square, triangular, and soon. The ball marker 100 and/or 200 may also take on different sizesdepending on the implementation.

The ball marker 100 may be provided with one or more attentionattraction devices. In some examples, as shown in FIG. 1A, the attentionattracting device may be one or more first illumination source 110. Thefirst illumination source 110 may be a light emitting diode (LED), anelectroluminescent material, a bioluminescent material, achemiluminescent material, a coherent light source (e.g., a lasersource), an incoherent light source, or the like. As can be seen in FIG.1A, more than one first illumination source 110 may be provided on a topsurface 104 of the ball marker 100.

In some examples, a second illumination source 112 may be provided onone or more sidewalls 106 of the ball marker 100. The first illuminationsource 112 may be a light emitting diode (LED), an electroluminescentmaterial, a chemiluminescent material, a bioluminescent material, acoherent light source (e.g., a laser source), an incoherent lightsource, or the like. The second illumination source 112 may be the sametype as the first illumination source 110, or may be a different type ofillumination source. Furthermore, the plurality of first illuminationsources 110 and second illumination sources 112 may be a mixture ofdifferent types of illumination sources. When activated, the attentionattracting device such as first and second illumination sources 110, 112may be activated in order to increase visibility of the ball marker 100.As will be discussed below, the first and second illumination sources110,112 may also be controlled to illuminate in a predefined pattern orsequence.

However, the one or more attention attracting devices of ball marker 100are not limited to illumination sources or devices. In some examples,the ball marker 100 may have one or more attraction devices which emitsound, reflect or refract light, display an image or video, or the like.In particular, as seen in FIG. 1A, the ball marker 100 may have at leastone high-visibility portion 120, reflective portion 130, 132, speaker180, and display 140.

The high-visibility portion 120 may be a brightly-colored material,chemiluminescent or glow-in-the-dark material, fluorescent material,holographic material or the like. The high-visibility portion 120 isselected to increase visibility when ambient light is low and/or whenincident light (e.g, a flashlight) is shined thereon. Similarly, thereflective portions 130, 132 may be any type of material which reflectsincident light and thus increases visibility. In some examples,reflective portions 130, 132 may be a retro-reflective material, glassbeads, prismatic or micro-prismatic materials, reflective tape, or thelike.

The ball marker may be provided with a speaker 180 for emitting avariety or attention-grabbing or other location-assisting sounds. Forexample, speaker 180 may emit a predetermined sound such as a click,beep, buzz, or the like. The speaker 180 may be configured to emit thesound in a periodic, sequential manner, or may continuously emit a soundor frequency. The sound emitted by speaker 180 may also be apredetermined recorded sound, such as an attention-grabbing phrase orterm. As will be discussed below, the predetermined sound emitted byspeaker 180 may be stored in a storage device 506 (FIG. 3).

Display 140 may be an active display (e.g. a liquid crystal display(LCD), organic light emitting diode (OLED), e-ink, or the like) ordisplay 140 may be a passive display, such as a writing surface providedeither with or without a backlight. It is noted that in some examples anactive display 140 may have a display cover 140 a which also serves asan erasable writing surface, wherein display 140 may be considered bothan active and passive display. As depicted in FIG. 1A, the display 180may be placed on a top surface 104 of the ball marker 100 to increasevisibility when the ball marker 100 is in use.

Though depicted as being disposed on the top surface 104 of the ballmarker 100, one or more of the attention-grabbing devices discussedabove may be positioned on a top surface 104, a sidewall 106, or both.Further, the ball marker 100 may be provided with a combination ofattention-grabbing devices selected from the group discussed above.

Ball marker 100 may also be provided with one or more indicia 170 on atop surface 104, sidewall 106, or both. The indicia 170 may be used todifferentiate, identify, or promote the ball marker 100. For example,indicia 170 may be used to personalize the ball marker 100, such as witha user's name or company logo, or promote a course or product, such ascourse name or likeness. However, it is noted that indicia 170 may besubstantially anything which helps identify an individual ball marker100. Furthermore, indicia 170 may be integrated with, provided with, orinteract with the attention-grabbing devices discussed above, includinghaving reflective material, illumination sources, and the like.

A selector switch 160 may be provided in order to control acharacteristic of the ball marker 100. The selector switch 160 may beelectrically coupled to a controller 500 (FIG. 3, discussed below) andmay enable the user to activate, deactivate, or change the operation ofvarious attention-grabbing devices. In some examples, the selectorswitch 160 may be operated to turn the ball marker 100 ON or OFF, suchas by depressing the selector switch 160 for a certain amount of time.In some examples, the selector switch 160 may change the pattern,sequence, or selection of first and/or second illumination devices 110,112. In other examples, the selector switch 160 may change whichattention-grabbing device is activated, such as changing operation fromone of first illumination devices 110 to the speaker 180 or display 140.

In some examples, the selector switch 160 may be configured to changethe operation of the display 140. The selector switch 160 may also beconfigured to control operation of an application or program displayedon the display 140, as discussed in more detail below. In some examples,the selector switch 160 may be configured for keeping score, countingstrokes, or the like. It is noted that while only one selector switch160 is depicted, more than one selector switch 160 may be provided foradditional functionality, operation, and flexibility.

In some examples, a dedicated ON/OFF switch 161 may also be providedwith the ball marker 100. The ON/OFF switch 161 may be manuallyactivated by the user, such as by contact with or depression by a user'sfinger. The ON/OFF switch 161 may be substantially any type of switchcapable of activating and deactivating power to the ball marker 100,such as a mechanical switch, electromechanical switch, solid stateswitch, or the like.

By providing an ON/OFF switch 161, the ball marker 100 may be functionalwithout the use of a holder 200, discussed in more detail below. Theball marker 100 may be manually turned OFF when not in use, and may bestored in a user's pocket, golf bag, or the like. When needed, a usermay activate the ball marker 100 directly using the ON/OFF switch 161without the use of a holder 200. Accordingly, if a holder 200 ismisplaced or otherwise inaccessible, the ball marker 100 may operate onits own.

With continuing reference to FIG. 1A, a solar cell 150 or other devicecapable of converting light to electricity may be provided on a topsurface 104 of the ball marker 100 so as to receive incident light whenin use and/or when stored. The solar cell 150 may be in electricalcommunication with the controller 500 and power supply 504 (FIG. 3) inorder to charge the power supply 504, such as a rechargeable battery orthe like.

Turning now to FIG. 2A, FIG. 2A is a side view of the golfing accessory10 shown in FIG. 1A. With reference to FIGS. 1A and 2A, as discussedabove the golfing accessory 10 may optionally be provided with a holder200 for the ball marker 100. The holder 200 may have a top surface 210sized or shaped to substantially match the bottom surface 105 of theball marker 100 so as to receive the ball marker 100 thereon. At leastone sidewall 220 is provided extending substantially orthogonally fromthe top surface 210 (FIG. 2A) and preferably extending around theperimeter of the top surface 210 of the holder 200. Similar to shape ofthe top surface 104 of the ball marker 100, the circular shape of thetop surface 210 depicted in FIGS. 1A and 2A is merely exemplary. Morethan one sidewall 210 may be provided if the shape of the perimeter ofthe holder 200 and/or the ball marker 100 is non-circular.

The top surface 210 of the holder 200 may have a magnetic retentionmember 230 embedded in or attached to the top surface 105. The magneticretention member 230 of the holder 200 may couple with the retentionmechanism 190 (FIG. 2A) of the ball marker 100 in order to retain theball marker 100 on the holder 200.

The holder 200 may be provided with an attachment member 240. Theattachment member 240 may generally extend from a bottom surface of theholder 200. In some examples, the attachment member 240 may be aclip-shaped piece of metal configured to clip the holder 200 to anarticle of clothing or other accessory. In other examples the attachmentmember 240 may be a pin mechanism, a clamp, a magnetic attachmentmember, or other suitable device for attaching the holder to an articleof clothing or other object.

With reference to FIG. 2A, the ball marker 100 may be provided with anactivation mechanism 192. The activation mechanism 192 may be selectedto detect a change in magnetic flux, such as by using the hall effect, amagnetoresistive material, or other magneto-sensitive device ormaterial. As discussed in more detail below, the activation mechanism192 may be in communication with a power switch 510 of controller 500(FIG. 3). In particular, based on the proximity to magnetic retentionmember 230 of holder 200, the activation mechanism 192 may cause thecontroller to activate or deactivate a power source 504 (FIG. 3) to turnthe ball marker 100 ON or OFF. Additionally, as discussed above andshown in FIG. 1A, a dedicated ON/OFF switch 161 may be provided forallowing the user to manually activate and deactivate the ball marker100.

With reference to FIG. 1B, an example of the golfing accessory 40 isshown from a perspective angle. The golfing accessory 40 is providedwith a ball maker 400 and a holder 300. The ball marker 400 includes abody 408 with a substantially planar top surface 404, bottom surface405, and at least one sidewall 406. However, the top surface 404 is notlimited in this respect and the top surface 404 may have variousprotrusions, adornments, features, and/or or contours. The marker 400may be made of metal, plastic, or a combination of metal and plastic. Insome examples, the body 108 of the ball marker 100 may be made ofplastic while a perimeter edge includes a magnetic metal material (notshown).

The ball marker 400 may be provided with one or more attentionattraction devices. In some examples, as shown in FIG. 1B, the attentionattracting device may be one or more first illumination source 410. Thefirst illumination source 410 may be a light emitting diode (LED), anelectroluminescent material, a chemiluminescent material, abioluminescent material, a coherent light source (e.g., a laser source),an incoherent light source, or the like. As can be seen in FIG. 1B, morethan one first illumination source 410 may be provided on a top surface404 of the ball marker 400.

In some examples, a second illumination source 412 may be provided onone or more sidewalls 406 of the ball marker 400. The first illuminationsource 412 may be a light emitting diode (LED), an electroluminescentmaterial, a chemiluminescent material, a bioluminescent material, acoherent light source (e.g., a laser source), an incoherent lightsource, or the like. The second illumination source 412 may be the sametype as the first illumination source 410, or may be a different type ofillumination source. Furthermore, the plurality of first illuminationsources 410 and second illumination sources 412 may be a mixture ofdifferent types of illumination sources. When activated, the attentionattracting device such as first and second illumination sources 410, 412may be activated in order and increase visibility of the ball marker400. As will be discussed below, the first and second illuminationsources 410,412 may also be controlled to illuminate in a predefinedpattern or sequence.

However, the one or more attention attracting devices of ball marker 400are not limited to illumination sources or devices. In some examples,the ball marker 400 may have one or more attraction devices which emitsound, reflect or refract light, display an image or video, or the like.In particular, as seen in FIG. 1B, the ball marker 400 may have at leastone high-visibility portion 420, reflective portion 430, 432, speaker480, and display 440.

The high-visibility portion 120 may be a brightly-colored material,chemiluminescent or glow-in-the-dark material, fluorescent material,holographic material or the like. The high-visibility portion 120 isselected to increase visibility when ambient light is low and/or whenincident light (e.g., a flashlight) is shined thereon. Similarly, thereflective portions 130, 132 may be any type of material which reflectsincident light and thus increases visibility. In some examples,reflective portions 130, 132 may be a retro-reflective material, glassbeads, prismatic or micro-prismatic materials, reflective tape, or thelike.

The ball marker may be provided with a speaker 480 for emitting avariety or attention-grabbing or other location-assisting sounds. Forexample, speaker 480 may emit a predetermined sound such as a click,beep, buzz, hum, or the like. The speaker 480 may be configured to emitthe sound in a periodic, sequential manner, or may continuously emit apredefined sound, frequency, or frequency range. The sound emitted byspeaker 480 may also be a predetermined or pre-recorded sound, such asan attention-grabbing phrase or term. As will be discussed below, thepredetermined sound emitted by speaker 480 may be stored in a storagedevice 506 (FIG. 3).

Display 440 may be an active display (e.g. a liquid crystal display(LCD), organic light emitting diode (OLED), e-ink, or the like) ordisplay 440 may be a passive display, such as a writing surface providedeither with or without a backlight (not shown). It is noted that in someexamples an active display 440 may have a display cover 440 a which alsoserves as an erasable writing surface, wherein display 440 may beconsidered both an active and passive display. As depicted in FIG. 1B,the display 480 may be placed on a top surface 404 of the ball marker400 to increase visibility when the ball marker 400 is in use.

Though depicted as being disposed on the top surface 404 of the ballmarker 400, one or more of the attention-grabbing devices discussedabove may be positioned on a top surface 404, a sidewall 406, or both.Further, the ball marker 400 may be provided with a combination ofattention-grabbing devices selected from the group discussed above.

Ball marker 400 may also be provided with one or more indicia 470 on atop surface 404, sidewall 406, or both. The indicia 470 may be used todifferentiate, identify, or promote the ball marker 400 from others orsimilar ball markers. For example, indicia 470 may be used topersonalize the ball marker 400, such as with a user name or companylogo, or promote a course or product, such as course name or likeness.However, it is noted that indicia 470 may be substantially anythingwhich helps identify an individual ball marker 400. Furthermore, indicia470 may be integrated with, provided with, or interact with theattention-grabbing devices discussed above, including having reflectivematerial, illumination sources, and the like.

A selector switch 460 may be provided in order to control acharacteristic of the ball marker 400. The selector switch 460 may beelectrically coupled to a controller 500 (FIG. 3, discussed below) andmay enable the user to activate, deactivate, or change the operation ofvarious attention-grabbing devices. In some examples, the selectorswitch 460 may be operated to turn the ball marker 400 ON or OFF, suchas by depressing the selector switch 460 for a certain amount of time.In some examples, the selector switch 460 may change the pattern,sequence, or selection of first and/or second illumination devices 410,412. In other examples, the selector switch 460 may change whichattention-grabbing device is activated, such as changing operation fromone of first illumination devices 410 to the speaker 480 or display 440.

In some examples, the selector switch 460 may be configured to changethe operation of the display 440. The selector switch 460 may also beconfigured to control operation of an application or program displayedon the display 440, as discussed in more detail below. In some examples,the selector switch 460 may be configured for keeping score, countingstrokes, or the like. It is noted that while only one selector switch460 is depicted, more than one selector switch 460 may be provided foradditional functionality, operation, and flexibility.

In some examples, a dedicated ON/OFF switch 461 may also be providedwith the ball marker 400. The ON/OFF switch 461 may be manuallyactivated by the user, such as by contact with or depression by a user'sfinger. The ON/OFF switch 461 may be substantially any type of switchcapable of activating and deactivating power to the ball marker 400,such as a mechanical switch, electromechanical switch, solid stateswitch, or the like.

By providing an ON/OFF switch 461, the ball marker 400 may be functionalwithout the use of a holder 400, discussed in more detail below. Theball marker 400 may be manually turned OFF when not in use, and may bestored in a user's pocket, golf bag, or the like. When needed, a usermay activate the ball marker 400 directly using the ON/OFF switch 461without the use of a holder 300. Accordingly, if a holder 300 ismisplaced or otherwise inaccessible, the ball marker 400 may operate onits own.

With continuing reference to FIG. 2A, a solar cell 450 or other devicecapable of converting light to electricity may be provided on a topsurface 404 of the ball marker 400 so as to receive incident light whenin use and/or when stored. The solar cell 450 may be in electricalcommunication with the controller 500 and power supply 504 (FIG. 3) inorder to charge the power supply 504, such as a rechargeable battery orthe like.

Turning now to FIG. 2B, FIG. 2B is a side view of the golfing accessory40 shown in FIG. 1B. With reference to FIGS. 1B and 2B, as discussedabove, golfing accessory 40 may optionally be provided with a holder 300for the ball marker 400. The holder 300 may have a top surface 310 sizedor shaped to substantially match the bottom surface 405 of the ballmarker 400 so as to receive the ball marker 400 thereon. At least onesidewall 320 is provided extending substantially orthogonally from thetop surface 310 (FIG. 2B) and preferably extending around the perimeterof the top surface 310 of the holder 300. Similar to shape of the topsurface 404 of the ball marker 100, the circular shape of the topsurface 310 depicted in FIGS. 1B and 2B is merely exemplary. More thanone sidewall 310 may be provided if the shape of the perimeter of theholder 300 and/or the ball marker 400 is non-circular.

The top surface 310 of the holder 300 may have a retention member 330provided on thereon. The retention member 330, which may be in the formof a protrusion or boss, may couple with a retention mechanism 490 (FIG.2B) provided on a bottom surface 405 of the ball marker 400. Theretention mechanism 490 may be in the form of a recess configured tocouple with the retention member 330. An activation mechanism 492 may beprovided in the recess of the retention mechanism 490. In some examples,the retention member 330 may couple to the retention mechanism 490 byinterference fit, snap-fit, press-fit, threaded interconnection, or thelike, in order to retain the ball marker 300 on the holder 400.Retention mechanism 490 may have a resilient or flexible barrier 493covering the recessed area defined by the retention mechanism 490.

The holder 300 may be provided with an attachment member 340. Theattachment member 340 may generally extend from a bottom surface of theholder 300. In some examples, the attachment member 340 may be aclip-shaped piece of metal configured to clip the holder 300 to anarticle of clothing or other accessory. In other examples the attachmentmember 340 may be a pin mechanism, a clamp, a magnetic attachmentmember, or other suitable device for attaching the holder to an articleof clothing or other object.

With reference to FIG. 2B as discussed above, the ball marker 400 may beprovided with an activation mechanism 492 within the recess of theretention mechanism 490. The activation mechanism 492 may be apushbutton-type, plunger-type, or other electromechanical device incommunication with the controller 500. As discussed in more detailbelow, the activation mechanism 492 may be in communication with a powerswitch 510 of controller 500 (FIG. 3). In particular, based on theproximity to retention member 330 of holder 200, the activationmechanism 492 may cause the controller to activate or deactivate a powersource 504 (FIG. 3) to turn the ball marker 400 ON or OFF. Additionally,as discussed above and shown in FIG. 1B, a dedicated ON/OFF switch 461may be provided for allowing the user to manually activate anddeactivate the ball marker 400.

It is noted that the primary differences between the golfing accessory10 and golfing accessory 40 depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B, respectively,is the manner in which the ball markers 100, 400 attach to and areactivated by respective holders 200, 300.

With reference now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a controller 500 forcontrolling a ball marker of FIGS. 1A and 1B is shown. The controller500 may be in the form of an integrated circuit (IC), a collection ofinterconnected circuit modules, or the like. The controller 500 may havea processor 502, power supply 504, power switch 510, and storage 506.Power supply 504, which may be a rechargeable battery, non-rechargeablebattery, supercapacitor, or the like, may provide power to the processor502 in response to the power switch 510 being switched to an ON state.

The processor 502, which may be a general purpose processor or anapplication-specific processing element, may be configured to executeinstructions stored on the storage 506. Storage 506 may be solid state,magnetic storage, volatile or non-volatile storage, and the like. Anapplication, such as software or other program data, may be stored onthe storage 506. Further, generic and/or specific operating instructionsfor the one or more attention grabbing devices, such as the speaker 518,illumination device 514, or display 520, may be stored on the storage506.

With continued reference to FIG. 3, in some examples the controller 500may be provided with a transceiver 522 and a location sensor 512. Atransceiver 522 may be provided in order to transmit information toand/or receive information from a second device, such as a user's cellphone, a local or wide-area network, the internet, another ball marker,or the like.

The location sensor 512, such as a global positioning satellite (GPS)receiver or the like, may provide location information to processor 502and storage 506, which may in turn change an operation or characteristicof the controller 500 and the ball marker 100, 400. A user's locationinformation obtained from the location sensor may determine a user'slocation on a course, such as which hole they are playing or theproximity to the next hole. For example, course information includingthe GPS coordinate of holes may be stored or input into the storage 506.The processor 502 may calculate a distance between the user's locationand the nearest or next hole using conventional means. The distance tothe next hole calculated by the processor 502 may be displayed on thedisplay 140, 440. The location information may be read out to the useror transmitted to a server or cell phone application for recording andretrieval. If the ball marker is provided with a scoring or anapplication for determining the distance to the next hole, as discussedabove, the score and other playing data may be transmitted to a thirdparty device for recording and later retrieval.

In some examples the location sensor 512 may be configured to monitorlocation information over time and record to storage 506. In this way,the user may be provided with information as to how long they have beenplaying and where they spent the most time on the golf course, which mayhelp them improve their game and strategies.

The controller 500 is in electrical communication with an activationmodule 508. The activation module 508 may be in electrical orelectromechanical communication with the activation mechanisms 192, 492of the ball markers 100, 400, respectively. In some examples, theactivation module 508 may be the same as the activation mechanisms 192,492. In other examples, the activation module may be responsive toactivation mechanisms 192, 492.

For example, in FIGS. 1A and 2A, the ball marker 100 may be providedwith an activation mechanism 192 which detects a change in magneticflux, such as by using the hall effect, a magnetoresistive material, orother magneto-sensitive device. In this example, the activationmechanism 192 may be the same structure as the activation module 508.Based on the proximity of activation member 192 to magnetic retentionmember 230 of holder 200, the activation mechanism 192 causes the powerswitch 510 to turn the ball marker 100 ON or OFF.

In the example of FIGS. 1B and 2B, the ball marker 400 may be providedwith an activation mechanism 492 within the recess of the retentionmechanism 490. The activation mechanism 492 may be a pushbutton-type,plunger-type, or other electromechanical device in communication withthe controller 500. Accordingly, the activation module 508 may be anelectromechanical device which causes a power switch 510 to be connectedor disconnected, thus controlling an ON/OFF state of the ball marker400. That is, based on the proximity to retention member 330 of holder200, the activation module 508 may cause the controller to activate ordeactivate a power switch 510 to turn the ball marker 400 ON or OFF.

The controller 500 may also be in communication with at least oneselector switch 516, which may be the same as selector switch 160, 460provided with a ball marker 100, 400, as discussed above. The selectorswitch 516 may cause the controller 500 to change a characteristic ofthe ball marker 100, 400, or may enable the user to activate,deactivate, or change the operation of various attention-grabbingdevices. The selector switch 516 may be electromechanical, solid state,mechanical, or the like. In some examples the selector switch 516 may bea solid state relay. Furthermore, as discussed above, the selectorswitch 516 may be configured to turn the ball marker 100, 400 ON or OFF,such as by depressing the selector switch 516 for a predetermined amountof time.

Additionally, the controller 500 may be in communication with at leastone ON/OFF switch 517, which may be the same as ON/OFF switch 161,461 ofmarkers 100, 400, respectively. As discussed above, the ON/OFF switchmay be manually turn the marker 100,400 ON or OFF independently of theactivation module 508. This allows the marker 100, 400 to be used byitself, such as when a holder is inaccessible, unnecessary, or unwanted.

Turning now to FIGS. 4A-4B, the functionality of the activationmechanism 192 of the ball marker 100 will be described. FIG. 4A depictsside partial cross-sectional view a ball marker 100 retained within theholder 200. As discussed above, the at least one sidewall 220 extendsoutward from a top surface 210 of the holder 200. In some examples, theball marker 100 sits flush within the holder 200, while in otherexamples the ball marker 100 may protrude or be recessed within the areabordered by sidewall 220.

As shown in FIG. 4A, when the ball marker 100 is engaged with the holder200 and coupled thereto by the interaction of the retention mechanism190 and the magnetic retention member 230, the activation mechanism 192is in an open-circuit state. When in an open-circuit state, thecontroller circuitry 193 is disconnected. That is, the power switch 510of controller 500 is deactivated and power from the power supply 504 isturned off. Accordingly, the ball marker 100 is powered down orotherwise turned to a low-power state when engaged with the holder 200.It is noted that although the power switch 510 may be deactivated, thesolar cell 150 (or photovoltaic module 526) may still operate to chargethe power supply 504.

In some examples, as depicted in FIGS. 4A-4B, the activation mechanism192 may be a reed-type switch responsive to a magnetic field emitted bythe magnetic retention member 230. In other examples, the activationmechanism 192 may be a module such as a hall sensor or magnetoresistivesensor, wherein a signal is generated and transmitted to the controller500 in response to a magnetic field or change in magnetic field. Forsimplicity, a magnetic reed-type switch is depicted in FIGS. 4A-4B.

Turning to FIG. 4B, when the ball marker 100 is disengaged from theholder 200, the activation mechanism 192, such as a magnetic reedswitch, returns to a closed-circuit state. This is due to the activationmechanism 192 no longer being in proximity to the retention member 230.In a closed-circuit state the controller circuitry 193 is connected andpower switch 510 is activated. Power from the power supply 504 is turnedon. Accordingly, the ball marker 100 is powered on and attentiongrabbing devices may be activated.

Turning now to FIGS. 5A-5B, the functionality of the activationmechanism 492 of the ball marker 400 will be described. FIG. 5A depictsside partial cross-sectional view a ball marker 400 retained within theholder 300. As discussed above, the at least one sidewall 320 extendsoutward from a top surface 310 of the holder 300. In some examples, theball marker 400 sits flush within the holder 300, while in otherexamples the ball marker 400 may protrude or be recessed within the areabordered by sidewalls 420.

As shown in FIG. 5A, when the ball marker 400 is engaged with the holder200 and coupled thereto by the interaction of the retention mechanism490 and the retention member 330, the activation mechanism 492 is in anopen-circuit state. When in an open-circuit state, the controllercircuitry 493 is disconnected. That is, the power switch 510 ofcontroller 500 is deactivated and power from the power supply 504 isturned off. Accordingly, the ball marker 400 is powered down orotherwise turned to a low-power state when engaged with the holder 300.It is noted that although the power switch 510 may be deactivated, thesolar cell 450 (or photovoltaic module 526) may still operate to chargethe power supply 504.

In some examples, as depicted in FIGS. 5A-5B and discussed above, anactivation mechanism 492 provided within the recess of the retentionmechanism 490. The activation mechanism 492 may be a pushbutton-type,plunger-type, or other electromechanical device in communication withthe controller 500. For simplicity, the activation mechanism 492 isdepicted as a single plunger pushbutton switch.

When the ball marker 400 is engaged with the holder 320, as shown inFIG. 5A, the retention member 330 of the holder 300 deforms the flexiblebarrier 493 and engages with the recess formed by the retentionmechanism 490 of the ball marker 400. Upon engagement, the retentionmember 330 forces the activation mechanism 492 into a second position inan open-circuit state, thus disconnecting controller circuitry 493 asdiscussed above. When the ball marker 400 is disengaged from the holder300, the activation mechanism 492 returns to its first position whereincontroller circuitry 493 is connected.

Accordingly, when the ball marker 400 is engaged with the holder 300 asshown in FIG. 5A, the ball marker 400 is deactivated and powered off.When the ball marker 400 is disengaged from the holder 400 as shown inFIG. 4B, the ball marker 400 is activated. Power from the power supply504 is turned on and attention grabbing devices may be activated.

Turning now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, a partial cross-sectional view ofanother example of a holder for a golfing accessory 10 is shown. Withreference to FIG. 6A, a holder 600 may have body 602 with at least onesidewall portion 620 extending therefrom. The at least one sidewall 620may have at least one flange 622 extending radially inward to form acavity 624. The holder 600 has an inner surface 604 with a retentionmember 630 provided thereon. It is noted that the retention member 630may be substantially the same as the retention member 230 discussedabove with respect to FIG. 2A. That is, in some examples the retentionmember 630 may be a magnetic retention member 630 for interacting with aretention mechanism 190 of the ball marker 100. Likewise, the magneticretention member 630 may operate as discussed above with respect to FIG.4A to activate and deactivate the ball marker 100.

The at least one flange 622, at least one sidewall 620, and body 602 maybe made of a flexible, resilient material. In some examples, the flange622 and sidewall 620 are made of a flexible material, while the body 602is rigid. The flexible, resilient flange 622 and sidewall 620 are formedto allow the ball marker 100 to be reversibly engaged with the cavity624 the holder 600. The ball marker 100 may therefore be retained withinthe holder 600 by the interaction of the retention member 630 withretention mechanism 190 as well as the flange 620. That is, the flange620 may form a snap-fit over the ball marker 100.

With reference to FIG. 6B, the holder 700 is substantially the same asholder 600 discussed above with respect to FIG. 6A, except that theretention member 730 is formed to interact with the retention mechanism490 of the ball marker 400. FIG. 6B is a partial cross-sectional view ofanother example of a holder for a golfing accessory 40 is shown. Withreference to FIG. 6B, a holder 700 may have body 702 with at least onesidewall portion 720 extending therefrom. The at least one sidewall 720may have at least one flange 722 extending radially inward to form acavity 724. The holder 700 has an inner surface 704 with a retentionmember 730 provided thereon. It is noted that the retention member 730may be substantially the same as the retention member 330 discussedabove with respect to FIG. 2A. That is, in some examples the retentionmember 330 may be a protruding portion or a boss which couples with aretention mechanism 490 (FIG. 2B) provided on a bottom surface 405 ofthe ball marker 400. The retention mechanism 490 may be in the form of arecess configured to couple with the retention member 330. Likewise, theretention member 730 may operate as discussed above with respect to FIG.4B to activate and deactivate the ball marker 400.

The at least one flange 722, at least one sidewall 720, and body 702 maybe made of a flexible, resilient material. In some examples, the flange722 and sidewall 720 are made of a flexible material, while the body 702is rigid. The flexible, resilient flange 722 and sidewall 720 are formedto allow the ball marker 400 to be reversibly engaged with the cavity724 of the holder 700. The ball marker 400 may therefore be retainedwithin the holder 700 by the interaction of the retention member 730with retention mechanism 490 as well as the flange 720. That is, theflange 720 may form a snap-fit over the ball marker 400. It is notedthat the primary difference between the holder 600 and holder 700 is theretention member 630, 730 for retaining ball markers 100, 400,respectively.

Turning to FIG. 7A, a partial cross-section of holder 800 according toanother example of the present disclosure is shown. The holder 800 isprovided with a bottom holder body 802 and top holder body 803. Thebottom holder body 802 is provided with at least one flange 822extending radially outward from the inner surface 804 b of the bottomholder body 802. The top holder body 803 may have an inner surface 804 aand at least one sidewall 820 protruding there from. The at least onesidewall 820 may have at least one flange 822 extending radially inwardtherefrom to form a cavity 823. Like the flanges 622, 722 and sidewalls620, 720, the sidewall 820 and flange 822, 823 may be made a flexiblematerial, while the bottom and top holder bodies 802, 803 may be rigid.In some examples, the bottom and top holder bodies 802, 803 may also bemade of a flexible material.

The flexible, resilient flanges 822, 824 and sidewall 820 may be formedto allow the ball marker 100 to engage the inner surface 804 a, 804 b ofthe holder 800. The at least one flange 824 may engage the cavity 823 inorder to couple the bottom holder body 802 with the top holder body 803.The ball marker 100 may therefore be retained within the holder 800 bythe interaction of the retention member 830 with retention mechanism 190as well as the flanges 822, 824. The retention member 830, which may bea magnetic retention member 830 such as that described above withrespect to FIGS. 1A, 2A, 5A, and 6A, may be provided on the bottomholder body 802 or the top holder body 803. Magnetic retention member830, as described above, functions to activate a ball marker 100 whenthe ball marker 100 is removed from the holder 800, and deactivate aball marker 100 when engaged with the holder 800. Accordingly, a ballmarker 100 may be safely stored in the holder 800.

It is noted that although FIG. 7A depicts a magnetic retention member830 for engaging a retention mechanism 190 of the ball marker 100, it isnot limited to this. In some examples, the retention member 830 may be aprotruding portion or boss such as that described in FIGS. 1B, 2B, 5B,and 6B. That is, the retention member 830 may be formed to engage withthe retention mechanism 490 of the ball marker 400.

FIG. 7B is a perspective view of the top holder body 802 of FIG. 7A. Asshown FIG. 7A, the top holder body 802 may include a graphic 834disposed on the outward facing surface 838 thereof. The type of graphic834 provided on the outward facing surface 838 may vary depending on theimplementation. By way of example and not limitation, FIG. 7B includes agraphic 834 in the form a lightning bolt shaped logo. In accordance withalternative embodiments, the graphic 834 make take the form of a name,shape, logo, and so on.

With reference now to FIGS. 8-11, exemplary circuit diagrams are shownfor various examples of the ball markers 100, 400 as described above.FIG. 8A is an exemplary circuit diagram for a ball marker such as theball marker 100 of FIG. 1A. The circuit may be provided with a powersource 902, such as a battery, corresponding to the power source 504 ofthe controller 500 (FIG. 3). A power switch 904, such as a magneticreed-type switch, may be provided in order to activate and deactivatethe circuit 900.

Though depicted as a magnetic reed-type switch, other types ofmagnetosensitive devices such as hall sensors may be used as the powerswitch 904. The circuit 900 may also be provided with anattention-grabbing device such as one or more illumination devices 906a-d arranged in series, which in some examples may illumination sourcessuch as light emitting diodes (LED). A selector switch 908 may beprovided with circuit 900 in order to control an operation of thecircuit. A resistor 910 is provided in order to limit the currentprovided to the circuit 900, thus protecting the various components. Itis noted that although LEDs 906 a-d are depicted, other attentiongrabbing devices such as those discussed above with respect to FIGS. 1and 3 may be provided with the circuit.

FIG. 8B is an exemplary circuit diagram for a ball marker such as theball marker 400 of FIG. 1B. The circuit may be provided with a powersource 952, such as a battery, corresponding to the power source 504 ofthe controller 500 (FIG. 3). A power switch 954, such as a plunger-typepushbutton switch, may be provided in order to activate and deactivatethe circuit 950.

The circuit 950 may also be provided with an attention-grabbing devicesuch as one or more illumination devices 956 a-d arranged in series,which in some examples may illumination sources such as light emittingdiodes (LED). A selector switch 958 may be provided with circuit 950 inorder to control an operation of the circuit. A resistor 960 is providedin order to limit the current provided to the circuit 950, thusprotecting the various components. It is noted that although LEDs 956a-d are depicted, other attention grabbing devices such as thosediscussed above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 3 may be provided with thecircuit.

FIG. 9A is an exemplary circuit diagram for a ball marker such as theball marker 100 of FIG. 1A. The circuit 1000 may be provided with apower source 1002, such as a battery, corresponding to the power source504 of the controller 500 (FIG. 3). A power switch 1004, such as amagnetic reed-type switch, may be provided in order to activate anddeactivate the circuit 100.

Though depicted as a magnetic reed-type switch, other types ofmagnetosensitive devices such as hall sensors may be used as the powerswitch 1004. The circuit 1000 may also be provided with anattention-grabbing device such as one or more illumination devices 1006a-d arranged in parallel, which in some examples may illuminationsources such as light emitting diodes (LED). Each LED 1006 a-d may havea corresponding resistor 1007 a-d provided to limit the current providedto the LEDs 1006 a-d. A selector switch 1008 may be provided withcircuit 1000 in order to control an operation of the circuit. A resistor1010 is provided in order to limit the current provided to the circuit1000, thus protecting the various components. It is noted that althoughLEDs 1006 a-d are depicted, other attention grabbing devices such asthose discussed above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 3 may be provided withthe circuit 1000.

FIG. 9B is an exemplary circuit diagram for a ball marker such as theball marker 400 of FIG. 1. The circuit 1050 may be provided with a powersource 1052, such as a battery, corresponding to the power source 504 ofthe controller 500 (FIG. 3). A power switch 1054, such as a plunger-typepushbutton switch, may be provided in order to activate and deactivatethe circuit 1050.

The circuit 1050 may also be provided with an attention-grabbing devicesuch as one or more illumination devices 1056 a-d arranged in parallel,which in some examples may illumination sources such as light emittingdiodes (LED). Each LED 1056 a-d may have a corresponding resistor 1057a-d provided to limit the current provided to the LEDs 1056 a-d. Aselector switch 1058 may be provided with circuit 1050 in order tocontrol an operation of the circuit. A resistor 1060 is provided inorder to limit the current provided to the circuit 1050, thus protectingthe various components. It is noted that although LEDs 1056 a-d aredepicted, other attention grabbing devices such as those discussed abovewith respect to FIGS. 1 and 3 may be provided with the circuit.

FIG. 10A is an exemplary circuit diagram for a ball marker such as theball marker 100 of FIG. 1A. Circuit 1100 may be substantially the sameas the circuit 900 of FIG. 8A. The circuit 1100 may be provided with apower source 1102, such as a battery, corresponding to the power source504 of the controller 500 (FIG. 3). In some examples, the battery 1102may be a rechargeable battery. A power switch 1104, such as a magneticreed-type switch, may be provided in order to activate and deactivatethe circuit 1100.

Though depicted as a magnetic reed-type switch, other types ofmagnetosensitive devices such as hall sensors may be used as the powerswitch 1104. The circuit 1100 may also be provided with anattention-grabbing device such as one or more illumination devices 1106a-d arranged in series, which in some examples may illumination sourcessuch as light emitting diodes (LED). A selector switch 1108 may beprovided with circuit 1100 in order to control an operation of thecircuit. A resistor 1110 is provided in order to limit the currentprovided to the circuit 1100, thus protecting the various components.

At least one solar cell 1112 a-b may be provided with circuit 1100 inorder to recharge the battery 1102. A diode 1164 may be provided toensure that current flows in one direction from the solar cells 1112a-b, thus helping protect them from potential damage. It is noted thatalthough LEDs 1106 a-d are depicted, other attention grabbing devicessuch as those discussed above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 3 may beprovided with the circuit 1100.

FIG. 10B is an exemplary circuit diagram for a ball marker such as theball marker 400 of FIG. 1B. The circuit 1150 may be provided with apower source 1152, such as a battery, corresponding to the power source504 of the controller 500 (FIG. 3). In some examples, the battery 1152may be a rechargeable battery. A power switch 1154, such as aplunger-type pushbutton switch, may be provided in order to activate anddeactivate the circuit 1150.

The circuit 1150 may also be provided with an attention-grabbing devicesuch as one or more illumination devices 1156 a-d arranged in series,which in some examples may illumination sources such as light emittingdiodes (LED). A selector switch 1158 may be provided with circuit 1150in order to control an operation of the circuit. A resistor 1160 isprovided in order to limit the current provided to the circuit 1150,thus protecting the various components. At least one solar cell 1162 a-bmay be provided with circuit 1100 in order to recharge the battery 1152.A diode 1164 may be provided to ensure that current flows in onedirection from the solar cells 1162 a-b, thus helping protect them frompotential damage. It is noted that although LEDs 1156 a-d are depicted,other attention grabbing devices such as those discussed above withrespect to FIGS. 1 and 3 may be provided with the circuit.

FIG. 11A is an exemplary circuit diagram for a ball marker such as theball marker 100 of FIG. 1A. The circuit 1200 may be provided with apower source 1202, such as a battery, corresponding to the power source504 of the controller 500 (FIG. 3). In some examples, the battery 1202may be a rechargeable battery. A power switch 1204, such as a magneticreed-type switch, may be provided in order to activate and deactivatethe circuit 1200.

Though depicted as a magnetic reed-type switch, other types ofmagnetosensitive devices such as hall sensors may be used as the powerswitch 1204. The circuit 1200 may also be provided with anattention-grabbing device such as one or more illumination devices 1206a-d arranged in parallel, which in some examples may illuminationsources such as light emitting diodes (LED). Each LED 1206 a-d may havea corresponding resistor 1207 a-d provided to limit the current providedto the LEDs 1206 a-d. A selector switch 1208 may be provided withcircuit 1200 in order to control an operation of the circuit. A resistor1210 is provided in order to limit the current provided to the circuit1000, thus protecting the various components. At least one solar cell1212 a-b may be provided with circuit 1100 in order to recharge thebattery 1202. A diode 1214 may be provided to ensure that current flowsin one direction from the solar cells 1212 a-b, thus helping protectthem from potential damage. It is noted that although LEDs 1206 a-d aredepicted, other attention grabbing devices such as those discussed abovewith respect to FIGS. 1 and 3 may be provided with the circuit 1200.

FIG. 11B is an exemplary circuit diagram for a ball marker such as theball marker 400 of FIG. 1. The circuit 1250 may be provided with a powersource 1252, such as a battery, corresponding to the power source 504 ofthe controller 500 (FIG. 3). A power switch 1254, such as a plunger-typepushbutton switch, may be provided in order to activate and deactivatethe circuit 1250.

The circuit 1250 may also be provided with an attention-grabbing devicesuch as one or more illumination devices 1256 a-d arranged in parallel,which in some examples may illumination sources such as light emittingdiodes (LED). Each LED 1256 a-d may have a corresponding resistor 1257a-d provided to limit the current provided to the LEDs 1256 a-d. Aselector switch 1258 may be provided with circuit 1250 in order tocontrol an operation of the circuit. A resistor 1260 is provided inorder to limit the current provided to the circuit 1250, thus protectingthe various components. At least one solar cell 1262 a-b may be providedwith circuit 1250 in order to recharge the battery 1252. A diode 1264may be provided to ensure that current flows in one direction from thesolar cells 1262 a-b, thus helping protect them from potential damage.It is noted that although LEDs 1256 a-d are depicted, other attentiongrabbing devices such as those discussed above with respect to FIGS. 1and 3 may be provided with the circuit.

FIG. 12 is illustration of golf ball marker 1300 embodiment thatincludes a digital display 1304. The golf ball marker 1300 may includeadditional features disclosed herein. By way of example, the golf ballmarker 1300 additionally includes a speaker 180 and a first illuminationsource 110. The digital display 1304 may provide information to the userin the form of text. The digital display 1304 may be scrolling text typeof display that moves displayed text laterally across the display 1304with new text appearing on one end of the display and old textdisappearing on the opposite side of the display. By displaying text ina scrolling manner, longer phrases or sentences may be communicated thanwould ordinarily fit within the boundaries of the digital display 1304.

The digital display 1304 may be used to communicate information ofvarious types to the user. For example, the digital display 1304communicate the name of the golfer, the name of the golf course, thenames of other golfers, and so on. The digital display 1304 may alsocommunicate information about a golfer such as their handicap, theirfavorite golf course, and so on. The digital display 1304 mayadditionally display information about a particular golf course suchname, location, whether conditions, hole distances, and so on.

The digital display 1304 may also communicate a golf score for one ormore golfers in a golfing party. A golf marker in accordance presentembodiments may include a counter that may be incremented on a per stokebasis so as to track a golfer's score. The counter may include intervalmarkers or the like that track the beginning and ending of each hole. Inaccordance with present embodiments, the digital display 1304 may beused to communicate the scoring information tracked by the counter. Forexample, the digital display 1304 may communicate a golfer's overallscore. Additionally, the digital display 1304 may communicate a golfer'sscore for one or more individual holes.

Typically, the digital display 1304 will display scores for the user ofthe golf ball marker 1300. However, in some cases, the ball marker 1300may communicate with a ball marker or other devices used by othermembers of the golfing party. In this case, the digital display 1304 maybe used to display other golfer's scores, including overall scores,scores for individual holes, and so on. In embodiments where the scoresfor multiple golfers are displayed, the digital display 1304 may displaya “leader board” where the golfers are ranked by their scores.

The digital display 1304 may be used to communicate locationinformation. A golf ball marker 1300 may include a global positionsystem receiver that may be used to track the position of the golf ballmarker 1300. The global positioning system receiver may be enable tocapture positing data at a given time so as to track shot distances. Forexample, a user may place the golf ball marker 1304 at the locationwhere a golf ball comes to rest after being driven or otherwise hit by agolfer. With golf ball marker 1300 in place, the user may trigger theglobal positioning system receive to capture and store position data. Inthis way, the golf ball maker 1300 may be used to track drive or othershot distances. Additionally, the golf ball marker 1300 may beconfigured to communicate those distances or other distance data to auser through the digital display 1304.

FIG. 13 is an illustration of a golf ball marker 1400 embodiment thatmay be configured to communicate with a smart golf ball 1404. As usedherein, a “smart golf ball” is one that includes various digital featuresuch as the ability to track its own position, and so on. The smart golfball 1404 may include a global positioning system receiver or similarmechanism which tracks position data. The smart golf ball 1404 mayadditionally including a communication component that allows that smartgolf ball 1404 to wirelessly communicate its location information orother data to receiver outside the golf ball 1404. For example, the golfball 1404 may include a passive RFID chip that communicates its datawhen activated by an active field.

In accordance with present embodiments, a golf ball marker 1400 may beconfigured to receive location information and/or other data from asmart golf ball 1404. Location information or other data received fromthe smart golf ball 1404 may be communicated to the user via the digitaldisplay 1304. By receiving location information directly from the golfball 1404, the quality of the data may be improved. Specifically, thedata acquisition may not depend on the user's placement of the golf ballmarker 1400. It this way cheating may be discouraged.

All directional references (e.g., proximal, distal, upper, lower,upward, downward, left, right, lateral, longitudinal, front, back, top,bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, radial, axial, clockwise,and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aidthe reader's understanding of the present invention, and do not createlimitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of theinvention. Connection references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected,and joined) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediatemembers between a collection of elements and relative movement betweenelements unless otherwise indicated. As such, connection references donot necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and infixed relation to each other. The exemplary drawings are for purposes ofillustration only and the dimensions, positions, order and relativesizes reflected in the drawings attached hereto may vary.

The above specification, examples and data provide a completedescription of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments of theinvention as defined in the claims. Although various embodiments of theclaimed invention have been described above with a certain degree ofparticularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments,those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to thedisclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of theclaimed invention. Other embodiments are therefore contemplated. It isintended that all matter contained in the above description and shown inthe accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only ofparticular embodiments and not limiting. Changes in detail or structuremay be made without departing from the basic elements of the inventionas defined in the following claims.

1. A ball marker, comprising: a body having a top surface and at leastone sidewall, the top surface defining a perimeter; a retentionmechanism; a power source; a controller; at least one illuminationsource; an activation module in electrical communication with thecontroller and the at least one illumination source; wherein thecontroller controls the activation module to activate the at least oneillumination source based on a storage position of the ball marker. 2.The ball marker of claim 1, wherein the activation module comprises amagnetic field sensor.
 3. The ball marker of claim 1, wherein themagnetic field sensor is one of a magnetic reed switch, a hall effectsensor, a magnetic flux sensor, and a magnetoresistive sensor.
 4. Theball marker of claim 1, wherein the activation module comprises anelectrical switch.
 5. The ball marker of claim 1, wherein the activationmodule comprises an electromechanical switch.
 6. The ball marker ofclaim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine a storageposition based on a condition of the activation module.
 7. The ballmarker of claim 1, wherein the retention mechanism is a magneticretention mechanism.
 8. The ball marker of claim 1, wherein theretention mechanism is a recessed portion.
 9. The ball marker of claim8, wherein the body further comprises a substantially planar bottomsurface, and wherein the recessed portion is formed on the bottomsurface.
 10. The ball marker of claim 8, wherein the retention mechanismis a snap-fit retention mechanism.
 11. The ball marker of claim 1,wherein the illumination source is provided on at least one of the topsurface and the at least one sidewall.
 12. The ball marker of claim 1,further comprising a selection mechanism electrically coupled to thecontroller for selecting from one of a plurality of operating modes. 13.The ball marker of claim 1, wherein the power source is one of a batteryor solar power source.
 14. The ball marker of claim 1, furthercomprising a high-visibility portion.
 15. The ball marker of claim 14,wherein the high-visibility portion comprises a material selected from areflective material, retro-reflective material, and chemiluminescentmaterial.
 16. A golfing accessory comprising a ball marker comprising: abody, a top surface, and at least one sidewall, the top surface defininga perimeter; a controller; a power source; a retention mechanism; atleast one attention attracting devices; an activation module inelectrical communication with the controller and the at least oneattention attracting device; a holder comprising a first surface and aretention member; wherein the retention mechanism and retention memberare configured to selectively couple the ball marker to the holder; andwherein the activation module is configured to activate the at least oneattention attracting devices when the retention mechanism and retentionmember are coupled and configured to deactivate the at least oneattention attracting devices when the retention mechanism and retentionmember are not coupled.
 17. The golfing accessory of claim 16, whereinthe activation module comprises a magnetic field sensor.
 18. The golfingaccessory of claim 17, wherein the magnetic field sensor is one of amagnetic reed switch, a hall-effect sensor, a magnetic flux sensor, anda magnetoresistive sensor.
 19. The golfing accessory of claim 16,wherein the activation module comprises one of an electrical switch andan electromechanical switch.
 20. The golfing accessory of claim 16,wherein the retention mechanism is a magnetic retention mechanism. 21.The golfing accessory of claim 16, wherein the body further comprises asubstantially planar bottom surface, the bottom surface having arecessed portion formed thereon.
 22. The golfing accessory of claim 21,wherein the holder further comprises a boss portion protruding from thefirst surface, the boss portion configured to selectively couple withthe recessed portion.
 23. The golfing accessory of claim 16, wherein theretention member is a snap-fit retention member.
 24. The golfingaccessory of claim 16, wherein the retention member is a magneticretention member.
 25. The golfing accessory of claim 16, wherein the atleast one attention attracting devices is provided on at least one ofthe top surface and the at least one sidewall.
 26. The golfing accessoryof claim 24, wherein the at least one attention attracting devices isone of an illumination source, an audio source, an audiovisual source, ahigh-visibility portion, and a display.
 27. The golfing accessory ofclaim 25, wherein the high-visibility portion comprises a materialselected from a reflective material, retro-reflective material, andchemiluminescent material.
 28. The golfing accessory of claim 16,further comprising a selection mechanism electrically coupled to thecontroller for selecting from one of a plurality of operating modes. 29.The golfing accessory of claim 16, wherein the power source is one of abattery or solar power source.
 30. The golfing accessory of claim 16,the ball marker further comprising a storage device in electricalcommunication with the controller, the controller configured to operatethe at least one attention attracting devices based on at least oneoperating mode stored on the storage device.
 31. The golfing accessoryof claim 30, further comprising a selection mechanism electricallycoupled to the controller and the at least one attention grabbingdevices, the selection mechanism configured for selecting from one of aplurality of operating modes.
 32. The golfing accessory of claim 16,wherein the ball marker further comprises a location detecting device.33. The golfing accessory of claim 16, wherein the ball marker furthercomprises a transceiver configured to communicate with one of a cellularnetwork, a satellite network, and a portable electronic device.
 34. Thegolfing accessory of claim 32, wherein the controller of the ball markeris configured to calculate a distance a predetermined area based upon anoutput of the location detecting device and a storage device.
 35. Thegolfing accessory of claim 34, wherein the calculated distance is outputto a display.